Japanese State (postwar)
The Japanese state, formally Nihon-koku (日本国), often referred as the Hokkaido Government, Northern Japan or the Free Japanese State is a unitary democratic state that is the successor to the pre-war state of Japan. As of 2300, the state controlled all of Hokkaido and the northern half of Honshu, extending as far southwest as the ruins of Tokyo. History In the Great War of 2077, Tokyo and several other major cities in Japan, which had only been recently liberated by US and Free Japanese Forces, were targeted and destroyed by Chinese nuclear strikes. Hokkaido, including the cities of the Sapporo and Hakodate, however, survived intact. In the weeks after the nuclear war, the Japan, like much of th world, was thrown into chaos, with widespread looting and violence. In this chaos, Japan Self-Defense Forces Lt. General Shuichiro Kazama, commander of the Japan Ground Self Defense Forces Northern Army based in Sapporo took emergency command of the mostly intact JSDF Northern Army, as well as any Air and Maritime Self-Defense Forces and local and national police within Hokkaido, and proceeded to deploy these forces to restore order. Within a few months, by the end of 2077, JSDF forces had restored order in much of Hokkaido, including Sapporo and Hakodate, suppressing riots, arresting looters, and confiscating what few weapons remained in civilians hands (Japan had very low rate of gun ownership before the war). In general, Kazama ordered his forces to attempt to minimize civilian casualties, though JSDF troops could respond with deadly force if threatened. Curfews were instituted and looters and other criminals were detained, with makeshift prisons being set up in locations such as soccer and baseball stadiums. Pre-war industries were commandeered and, when possible, modified to produce supplies necessary for survival of the society, and pre-war scrap was melted down. Rationing programs for food items, which had already been active because of the war, were reinstituted. While Kazama took emergency control of Hokkaido, he made a promise to the people of Japan that he would restore Hokkaido to the control of the civilian government no later than 2090. Starting in late 2078, Kazama began the process of the trying those criminals who were arrested in the initial pacification. The Japanese legal system, which used an inquisitory rather than trial by jury was continued in a similar manner to that of prior to the war, though trials were often hurried because of the volume of detainees, mostly looters. Looters who were only caught stealing small amounts of food and other survival good were penalized relatively lightly or even granted amnesty along with many non-violent pre-war criminals, albeit with the warning that any future criminal acts would have severe consequences. Those who were caught stealing large amounts of items, or government property, particularly military and police hardware, on the other hand, received lengthy sentences, as did those who committed crimes such as assault and rape, and were often used as prison labor for rebuilding. Those guilty of murder often received the death penalty, which still existed in Japan as of 2077, thought it was rarely used prior to the war. By the mid-2080s, Kazama and the JSDF restored order to the point some local and federal government functions were restored to partial civil control, albeit still with JSDF oversight. Meanwhile, the JSDF had restored order in parts of far northern Honshu, having made contact with JSDF and the few surviving US Forces Japan troops in the area, most of them joined forces with them quickly. Starting in 2087, a model for a civilian government, including a Parliament in Sapporo, Hokkaido was drawn up, and in 2090, Kazama kept his promise and stepped down turning over authority to the civilian government, though he continued to serve as commander of the post-war JSDF. The new civilian government, under Tadashi Miyamoto, a former local politician before the war approved of the continued operations to pacify northern Honshu. In 2095, civil government in the former Aomori Prefecture had been restored. In 2097, an aging Kazama officially retired, with his successor continuing to expand south, reaching the Iwate and Akita prefectures by 2105. The expansion of the postwar Japanese state would continue, but was slowed as they encountered heavier opposition, including ex-JSDF raiders and warlords that had seized power in Sendai and Fukushima prefectures. It would take until 2118 until these raiders were completely eliminated. In 2127, the JSDF entered the ruins of the greater Tokyo area, which was left in ruins by a nuclear attack in 2077. While they managed to clear several major outposts, including the former JSDF Fuji Army Base, and scored a major morale victory by raising the Japanese flag over Mt. Fuji, the mountain regions, as well as the ruins of Tokyo, remained only partially under Japanese control. With the civil government opposed to a draft, the JSDF did not have the manpower to expand any further south, though their possession of superior firepower to any raiders or warlords, including a few working aircraft and naval vessels allowed them to hold their outposts in the southern frontier. The Japanese state would remain centered in Hokkaido and northern Honshu, though the Sendai area would become more thoroughly under their control by 2150, and they would be able to keep the main roads south to Camp Fuji and their other outposts along the edge of the ruin of Tokyo relatively safe for travelers. By this time, the Free Japanese State regularly traded with the other successor state that existed in the former Japan, the Ryukyu Republic centered around Okinawa. In the 2200s, the postwar Japanese government first encountered the resurgent Communist Party of Japan. While the two factions were separated by the "no-mans land" of southern Honshu, the two factions would come into conflict after the CPJ attempted to attack the Ryukyu Republic, and the Hokkaido government came to their defense in what would become known as the Ryukyu War, a series of mostly naval and air battles that ended in a victory for the postwar Japanese state and the Ryukyu Republic. At the same time, an autocratic traditionalist faction known as The Shogunate rose in Kansai region, filling the power vacuum of the southern Honshu and presenting more direct land threat to the Free Japanese State, though the JSDF defeated an attempted Shogunate invasion at the Battle of Lake Hamana in later 2256. Ever since then post-war Japan has effectively been divided into thirds, with the postwar Japanese state in the north, the Shogunate in the center, and the CPJ in the south. Territory , Blue- Ryukyu Republic, Red- Communist Party of Japan, Yellow- The Shogunate, Orange- Far Eastern Republic. Pre-war prefectural lines included for reference purposes.]] The territory of the postwar Japanese State is divided into prefectures similar to those that existed prior to the Great War. In many case, particularly in the north, the prefectural boundaries are identical or almost identical to those of pre-war prefectures, with some exceptions noted below. The post-war Japanese state controls twelve prefectures, with identical names to those that existed in the same general area before the war, though some in Honshu have had their capitals moved as the pre-war capital was destroyed in a nuclear attack in 2077. In addition to the 12 prefectures, the postwar Japanese state also control three territories. These are areas in which the Japanese state has partial control, with military bases guarding major trade routes and the borders with Shogunate territory.Small communities of a few hundred to about 1000 civilian do exist in these areas, but, with the exception of a few towns that have sprung up around major trade routes or JSDF bases, are taxed or counted in censuses, effectively existing as de-facto independent city states. Any raider gangs or other threats to Japanese forces or interests in the area will be crushed by the JSDF, using pre-war armor, artillery, and air power if required. Prefectures *Hokkaido *Aomori *Iwate *Akita *Yamagata *Miyagi *Fukushima *Niigata *Tochigi *Gunma *Niigata (includes only eastern half of pre-war prefecture- western half is under Shogunate control) *Ibaraki *Greater Tokyo Territory (unorganized claimed territory in ruins of the greater Tokyo area, most JS presence consists of JSDF bases and outposts guarding roads) *Fuji Territory (unorganized claimed territory surrounding Mt. Fuji, most JS presence consists of JSDF base and outposts guarding roads. Borders Shogunate territory to the north) *Shizuoka Territory (unorganized territory in pre-war Shizuoka prefecture, most JS presence consists of JSDF bases and outposts guarding roads. Borders Shogunate territory to north and west) Government The government of the postwar Japanese state is a unitary parliamentary democracy nearly identical to that of pre-war Japan, consisting of an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. The most notable differences to the government are mostly ceremonial, with the ceremonial roles played by the Emperor in pre-war Japan being eliminated, as the entire Imperial family is presumed to have been killed in the Chinese nuclear attack on Tokyo during the Great War of 2077. Legislative branch consists of the Japanese Diet (sometimes referred to by foreigners as a "Parliament"), now based in Sapporo, which, like its pre-war counterpart, is a bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house, the House of Councillors, and the lower house, the House of Representatives, whose members are elected by the people. The House of Councillors are elected either by a single-not transferable vote or by proportional representation, while the House of Representatives are elected by proportional representation. The executive branch consists of a Prime Minister appointed by the National Diet, using a two-step run-off system should the members of various parties in the Diet not agree on a candidate, as well as the various cabinet ministers, who preside over various area of government. The Prime Ministers serves as the head of government, head of state, and the commander-in-chief of the JSDF, though funding for military operations are under the control of the legislature. The judicial system consists of the Supreme Court, as well as the lower High Courts and District Courts. The postwar Constitution of Japan is directly based on the pre-war model, but lacks what were Articles 1-8 in the pre-war Japanese constitution, which pertained to the ceremonial role of the Emperor, who is presumed to have died in the nuclear war of 2077 with no known surviving relatives. Article 1 of the post-war constitution is essentially highly "watered-down" version of Article 9 of the pre-war Japanese constitution (an article added after World War II which officially renounced the use of war to settle international disputes, de-facto interpreted as allowing only for defensive military forces). The only remains of its pre-war counterpart is the declaration that the Japanese state will not launch unprovoked offensive military operations outside of Japanese territory. Under the postwar constitution, "Japanese territory" refers to the pre-war boundaries of Japan, thus allowing for operations against rival post-war factions such The Shogunate and the Communist Party of Japan, though the postwar Japanese state are friendly towards the Ryukyu Republic in spite of their occupying what was pre-war Japanese territory. Articles 2-31 of the postwar constitution are essentially identical to the pre-war Articles 10-40, guaranteeing human rights such as freedom of speech, religion, expression, education, thought, prohibition of torture and cruel punishment, prohibition of slavery, the right to fair trial, democratic elections, among a number of others. The remaining articles (31-95) pertain to the structure of the government, treaties, amendments, and other provision, being roughly analogous to Articles 41-103 in the pre-war Japanese constitution. In addition to the federal government, local government is handled by prefectural and municipal governments. Post-war Japan has 12 prefectures generally similar to the their pre-war counterparts, as described below. In addition to the 12 prefectures, the postwar Japanese state also controls three territories on the fringes of Japanese territory that are on the western frontier of Japanese state territory, and have not been fully pacified and organized. These area are under the administration of local Japan Self-Defense Forces garrisons, though many smaller settlements in these territories have little interaction with the federal or local government, though any threats to Japanese state interests are quickly suppressed. Economy While the government held significant economic control during the period from 2077 to about 2100, when food, fuel, and strategic materials were rationed, and much economic activity was tightly controlled to allow for production of items and conservation of resources needed for survival, by 2100, many of these regulations had been relaxed, and the postwar Japanese state's economy began to resemble that of its pre-war counterpart. The economy of the postwar Japanese state is mostly capitalist, albeit with some nationalized industries, most notably the National Arsenal in Sapporo, the main producer of ammunition and weapons for the postwar JSDF, as well as electrical and water utilities, which are government owned. In general, though, the government passes some regulations such as minimum wages and safety regulations, but it is otherwise a free market system. On the scale of postwar industrial achievement, the postwar Japanese state ranks solidly at Stage Three, with some technologies approaching Stage 4. Many industrial facilities abandoned after the war have been refurbished and are now operating, whether producing the same goods as before the war or modified to meet demand for other products. Many corporations in the post-war Japanese State are based on the remnants of pre-war corporations, such as Shin Nippon Steel, which was started as former Nippon Steel steelmill in Sapporo reactivated after the war. Some companies that were based in Hokkaido continued operated after the war, including a number of food processing plants, most notably the Sapporo Brewery. Agriculture remains a major economic activity, with the most common crops being rice, wheat, corn, and sugar beets, and livestock, including cattle and sheep (in varying states of mutation depending on locality) are still raised, primarily in Hokkaido. Many ports in the postwar Japanese state, most notably Sapporo, Aomori, and Hakodate are major hubs for trade and fishing. With their only land neighbors being unorganized wasteland in the early part of their existence and The Shogunate, a hostile faction in the latter part, the postwar Japanese state has traded heavily by sea, with the most common trading partners being the Ryukyu Republic, with ships also travelling to various city-states in the Asian mainland, and, to a latter extent, the Far Eastern Republic, though relations with them are more strained and trade is often restricted by the governments of both sides. While most sea trade is within East Asia, some crews will brave the vast waters of the Pacific Ocean and sail as far as the New California Republic, Cascadia, and the Federation of Alaska, bringing back rare North American goods which can be sold for high prices in Japan. Military Main article: Japan Self-Defense Forces (postwar) The postwar incarnation of the Japan Self-Defense Forces are a direct continuation of their pre-war incarnation, who stepped in to restore order in Hokkaido after he Great War of 2077. As with their previous incarnation, the JSDF use the same rank structure and are similarly divided into the Ground Self-Defense Forces, Air Self-Defense Forces, and the Maritime Self-Defense Forces, playing the role of an Army, Air Force, and Navy respectively. The JGSDF are the largest branch of the post-war JSDF, with over 35,000 personnel and over 500 vehicles, including over 100 tanks and 50 Type 31 Armored Combat Suits. The JASDF consists of about 11,000 personnel, and owns about 350 aircraft, about 100 of which are restored pre-war fighters, mostly F80Js, but also small numbers of F-108 "Rapier"s and Mitsubishi FX-45s (a Japanese fighter design roughly comparable to the Rapier). The rest of the JASDF aircraft consist of various transports and light planes, some of them being armed to act as improvised attack planes, gunships or bombers, as well as various helicopters and VTOL aircraft, mostly CV-80s and Fuji Heavy Industries V7 Umidori. The JMSDF has the largest fleet of the four Japanese successor states, centered around the Takao-class guided missile destroyer JS Mirai. Other major vessels including four guided missile frigates and six Hayate-class missile boats. Other vessels included a few converted container ships and numerous small patrol boats and armed trawlers. Category:Post-War Countries Category:Post-War Factions